Chaplin Awards Gala Photos: 1972-1982

On Monday, April 22, we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Chaplin Award Gala, a major fundraising event for the Film Society of Lincoln Center that, throughout its history, has honored legendary filmmakers and actors like Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, and, of course, Charlie Chaplin himself at the inaugural event back in 1972.

If you’ve been paying attention, you surely know by now that this year’s Gala will honor legendary multi-hyphenate Barbra Streisand. What you may not know is just how rich the history of the Chaplin Award really is. To help illustrate, we dug through our photo archives to find images from Galas past, and we found so many great ones that we decided to take things 10 years at a time. Scroll down to enjoy photos of our honorees from 1972 – 1979.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrates American and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse film going audience.